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Glenlivet and best whisky


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i used to think malts without the time stamp were completely inferior but i've had a few named ones recently and they were quite good.

liked the Talisker storm.

Edradour 10 year old probably my favourite.

 

I used to like Lagavulin 16 year old but got it for Christmas and for some reason i can't take to it.  Suppose I liked the big flavour but now I prefer it a bit more subtle.

 

i think it would be interesting to taste whisky as it was in the 1790s or whatever.  Think we used to drink it straight off the still, pure crystal clear.  was there any flavour to it i wonder.

 

 

 

 

Edited by PapofGlencoe
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1 hour ago, PapofGlencoe said:

i used to think malts without the time stamp were completely inferior but i've had a few named ones recently and they were quite good.

liked the Talisker storm.

Edradour 10 year old probably my favourite.

 

I used to like Lagavulin 16 year old but got it for Christmas and for some reason i can't take to it.  Suppose I liked the big flavour but now I prefer it a bit more subtle.

 

i think it would be interesting to taste whisky as it was in the 1790s or whatever.  Think we used to drink it straight off the still, pure crystal clear.  was there any flavour to it i wonder.

 

 

 

 

I read a book recently called Bad Whisky by Edward Burns. It suggests that if you were drinking bought whisky, other than that produced for the richest echelons, you were taking your life in your hands during that period of history. All manner of adulterants were put in it to colour it & make it taste sharp. The number of deaths caused by it is unknown, but likely to be extensive.

The scandal was exposed when a scientist tested random samples from pubs in Glasgow & found that only 2 out of 30 actually were whisky. The rest were all sorts of odd concoctions.

I daresay there were better-made tipples to be had, but if you were buying it in your local Glasgow boozer, you were more likely to be drinking paint stripper.

 

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2 hours ago, SMcoolJ said:

Agree that HP, Dalwhinnie and Jura are all great but they are safe bets.  Try a Mortlach.  Brilliant stuff.

Yeah they are all safe without a doubt, always try different ones when I can so I'll keep an eye out for it

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26 minutes ago, Huddersfield said:

I read a book recently called Bad Whisky by Edward Burns. It suggests that if you were drinking bought whisky, other than that produced for the richest echelons, you were taking your life in your hands during that period of history. All manner of adulterants were put in it to colour it & make it taste sharp. The number of deaths caused by it is unknown, but likely to be extensive.

The scandal was exposed when a scientist tested random samples from pubs in Glasgow & found that only 2 out of 30 actually were whisky. The rest were all sorts of odd concoctions.

I daresay there were better-made tipples to be had, but if you were buying it in your local Glasgow boozer, you were more likely to be drinking paint stripper.

 

interesting cheers.  I'll give that book a read.  

i did my family tree and i know our people were barman and bar owners in Glasgow.  I wonder if they were part of this terrible trade!  

 

 

 

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On 22/08/2017 at 1:14 PM, jailender said:

The main reason for NSA whisky is the increase in demand, coupled with the time for the premier brands to mature, 8, 10 12 yaers etc. The distilleries have all increased output fairly dramatically in the last few years, and are producing these NSA varieties to keep the money coming in, while their top brands are maturing.

They're churning out gin now too as its trendy and gives a quick return.

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Good to see Bladnoch distillery has reopened. After closing, remaining stocks shot up to collector's prices just as I drained my 10yo cask strength bottle.   Was really nice.   Bought from the sweetie shop in Moffat.   Gonna be a few years before the new owners put out anything affordable again for me I think.   To match the prices, their new bottles look like expensive perfumes.   My old one had a mug shot of a sheep on it.

Meanwhile enjoying Ben Riach 16 and Glencaddam 15.   Magic.

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1 hour ago, Grim Jim said:

They're churning out gin now too as its trendy and gives a quick return.

I've never been a gin drinker so don't really know, but I went on the Bruichladdich tour a while back & a couple of gin drinkers in the family reckoned The Botanist was the best they'd ever tasted.

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13 hours ago, Huddersfield said:

I've never been a gin drinker so don't really know, but I went on the Bruichladdich tour a while back & a couple of gin drinkers in the family reckoned The Botanist was the best they'd ever tasted.

Botanist is very good. so many now though - theres a gin for just about every taste.

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Just got back from Islay a couple of days ago.  Had some decent meals finished off by local malts.  What was interesting was I came across some advice about adding water (which was not new) but suggested different types of water for different malts, eg Speyside - soft water,  Highland- hard water.  Further research: http://www.alcademics.com/2013/06/how-different-waters-affect-the-flavor-of-whisky.html

Presumably and another thing i stumbled across was the idea of whisky rocks.  Freezing rocks and putting them in your glass instead of the 'wrong' type of water which when melting 'contaminates' the whisky.

Maybe both these ideas have been around for years but I must admit I'd not come across them before.

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5 hours ago, Hertsscot said:

Just got back from Islay a couple of days ago.  Had some decent meals finished off by local malts.  What was interesting was I came across some advice about adding water (which was not new) but suggested different types of water for different malts, eg Speyside - soft water,  Highland- hard water.  Further research: http://www.alcademics.com/2013/06/how-different-waters-affect-the-flavor-of-whisky.html

Presumably and another thing i stumbled across was the idea of whisky rocks.  Freezing rocks and putting them in your glass instead of the 'wrong' type of water which when melting 'contaminates' the whisky.

Maybe both these ideas have been around for years but I must admit I'd not come across them before.

The ideas have been around since a couple of companies came up with an idea for making money off the back of whisky without having to bother building a distillery.

Considering a huge amount of whisky from Scotland is bottled using what is to all intents and purposes Glasgow/Edinburgh/fife tap water, then it's already been fairly well "contaminated" with water from places nowhere near where it was actually distilled. Given that, I don't think the place the water you add before drinking comes from makes much difference.

And whisky rocks are just playing up on the myth that you shouldn't add ice to whisky. Like everything else, whether it's alcohol, soft drinks or whatever, making it colder makes it harder to taste the flavour so putting cold stones in a dram will mask flavour, just the same as ice does. Nothing wrong with that if you prefer it that way but ice is generally the cheapest way of cooling a drink down, or just keep the bottle in the fridge, rather than shelling out for a few stones.

Edited by wee-toon-red
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My wife's family are from Islay and worked in Ardbeg. Her uncle was a cooper there. 

Her cousin still works in the Maltings in Port Ellen. 

I don't drink whisky at all so have no personal interest but I can recommend the distillery tours, especially Kilchoman. The tea room there also does a nice lunch. The Cullen Skink is lovely. 

Also try Duffies Bar on Shore Street in Bowmore. Very big selection of the nasty stuff. 

In-laws are from Caol Ila and that's apparently a different taste from the majority of Islay drams as not peaty but more seaweedy? 

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1 hour ago, RenfrewBlue said:

I don't drink whisky at all so have no personal interest but I can recommend the distillery tours, especially Kilchoman. The tea room there also does a nice lunch. The Cullen Skink is lovely. 

That Cullen Skink must have some reputation. When I was up there last week I got the very same recommendation, unfortunately arrived far too late for lunch so I can't verify whether the reputation is deserved.  Oh well I'll just have to go back!

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7 minutes ago, Hertsscot said:

That Cullen Skink must have some reputation. When I was up there last week I got the very same recommendation, unfortunately arrived far too late for lunch so I can't verify whether the reputation is deserved.  Oh well I'll just have to go back!

It depends on who's making it but it varies from really good to phenomenal. 

The home made cakes are pretty good too. 

To be fair I've not had a bad meal/snack in there ever and we are regulars as we tend to use Machir Bay for the kids. 

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We stopped at Kilchoman for tea & a cake when we were there & met the iconic American tourist. He wanted shortbread & they'd just run out, so he stood like a character in a Cleese spoof shouting at the girl along the lines of how the hell had they managed to run out of goddamn shortbread before storming out with a "what the hell kinda place is this".

 

 

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Anyone ever had a top of the (price) range whisky?  I'm not interested in a bragging competition but just wondered if you can tell any difference.  I'd happily pay £30 or £40 - though to be honest I normally just look out for when malts have got £10 off at the Supermarket.  I reckon I can tell the difference between some cheap stuff and something a bit better but can you taste that much of a difference if you're paying more than £50 or £60?  From a pure taste point of view is it worth it, I'm not sure my taste buds could tell the difference.  

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41 minutes ago, Hertsscot said:

Anyone ever had a top of the (price) range whisky?  I'm not interested in a bragging competition but just wondered if you can tell any difference.  I'd happily pay £30 or £40 - though to be honest I normally just look out for when malts have got £10 off at the Supermarket.  I reckon I can tell the difference between some cheap stuff and something a bit better but can you taste that much of a difference if you're paying more than £50 or £60?  From a pure taste point of view is it worth it, I'm not sure my taste buds could tell the difference.  

As I said I don't drink the stuff but there's a bottle of 60 year old Bowmore in Duffies in Bowmore. Costs about £200 a nip. 

Saw 4 German tourists having a wee taste last time we were up. They seemed happy enough. 

11 hours ago, Hertsscot said:

 

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13 hours ago, Hertsscot said:

Anyone ever had a top of the (price) range whisky?  I'm not interested in a bragging competition but just wondered if you can tell any difference.  I'd happily pay £30 or £40 - though to be honest I normally just look out for when malts have got £10 off at the Supermarket.  I reckon I can tell the difference between some cheap stuff and something a bit better but can you taste that much of a difference if you're paying more than £50 or £60?  From a pure taste point of view is it worth it, I'm not sure my taste buds could tell the difference.  

I think the phrase "you get what you pay for" applies to most Whisky.  There are certain exceptions but I'd suggest most 18-20 yo's are smoother and more complex than their 10-12 year counterparts.

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The last couple I mentioned are around the £50 mark, but find them to have richer flavours than typical younger whiskies.

However, have had some favourites for less than half that.   5-10yo Glen Grant, Chivas 12yo and the Bailie Nicol Jarvie blend for instance.

In the pub, a Whyte & Mackay will do me fine.

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